1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to body mounted carrying cases. More specifically, the invention involves several embodiments of carrying cases for supporting small pads of paper and a writing instrument about a portion of a person""s body.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices for mounting writing instruments and supplies, as well as devices for mounting articles to portions of the human body are known. What is missing from the related art, however, is a small, body mounted, non-obstructive, pad and pencil carrying case that: is economical to manufacture; will not snag on clothing or other material; and still provides support for a small pad of paper and a writing instrument.
Some designs of devices to support a writing/drawing instrument on a person""s wrist are shown in the following design patents. U.S. Design Patent No. Des. 256,292, issued to Cox on Aug. 12, 1980, is directed to a wrist band pen holder, while U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 377,913, issued to Cross on Feb. 11, 1997 discloses a slip-on wrist case for capsule components such as compasses or thermometers.
The following patents illustrate some cases for holding writing supplies or similar instruments. U.S. Pat. No. 259,076, issued to Bainbridge on Jun. 6, 1882, discloses a card case that holds stationary cards and may be placed in one""s pocket. U.S. Pat. No. 362,106, issued to Pember et al. on May 3, 1887, describes a pocket writing case that includes compartments for ink, pens, pencils, pins, erasers, a pen-wiper, etc. U.S. Pat. No. 433,536, issued to Murdock on Aug. 5, 1890, discloses a combined slate and satchel containing an integral slate writing surface, writing implements, as well as other utensils useful to a student.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,061, issued to Gunn on Sep. 27, 1994, discusses container systems for school supplies.
The following patents disclose some devices for holding small articles (including writing instruments) about a person""s wrist or neck. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,298, issued to Wimmershoff-Caplan on Jun. 23, 1987, describes a pendant necklace integrated with a removable writing implement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,250, issued to Cho on Feb. 20, 1990, shows a wrist watch with a memo case. The memo case includes a small pad of paper mounted under a lid just adjacent to the watch display. U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,319, issued to Fleming on Oct. 30, 1990, discloses a small, orthodontal, carrying case designed to be worn about the neck. The case includes a lid with a snap-type fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,606, issued to Openiano on Apr. 29, 1997, shows a wristwatch and strap with a writing, probing or pointing instrument contained therein. International Publication No. WO 95/02877, published Jan. 26, 1995, is directed to an improved style of identification bracelet that includes slots for the insertion of written material.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a carrying case for supporting small pads of paper and a writing instrument about a person""s wrist, neck or waist that solves the aforementioned problems is desired.
As described above, the present invention is directed to a small, body mounted, non-obstructive, lidded, pad and pencil carrying case that: is economical to manufacture; will not snag on clothing or other material; and also provides covered support for a small pad of paper (such as those sold under the name Post-It(trademark)) and a writing instrument. The case includes a main body portion that is attached to a wristband, neck rope, or spring clip for supporting the case conveniently on a person""s wrist, about the neck, or attached to the clothing respectively. A lid covers the open top of the main body portion and includes a snap closure to hold the lid closed. The case is particularly suitable for home, office, school or personal use, by adults or children. As with the Post-It(trademark) pads, the cases would come in a variety of matching colors such as purple, black, navy blue, red, yellow and green.
The case is designed to come in two sizes. Both the large sized case (for 2xe2x80x3 by 3xe2x80x3 Post-It(trademark) pads) and the small size case (for 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 by 2xe2x80x3 Post-It(trademark) pads) are carefully sized to be just large enough to easily contain the associated pad and, possibly, a small pen or pencil. In an alternate embodiment, the pen or pencil may be attached to an outer side of the case, using hook and loop fastener material such as Velcro(trademark). The case is designed with curved edges and soft, plastic, skin-safe material to reduce the chance of snagging material or scratching one""s skin.
The wristband embodiment includes four slots in the bottom of the main body portion for threading a flat wristband therethrough. The wrist band may be of any suitable length for children and adults, however, lengths of 8xe2x80x3 (small), 12xe2x80x3 (medium) and 16xe2x80x3 (large) are envisioned. The ends of the wristband are connected using one of two fastener embodiments. In the first embodiment, one end of the wristband includes a first piece of hook and loop fastener material, while the second end of the wristband includes a second, mating piece of hook and loop fastener material. In a second embodiment, one end of the wristband includes a buckle for threading the second end of the wristband therethrough. The lid of the wristband embodiment may be integral with the main body portion, (being connected by a thin flexible portion of plastic that acts as a hinge) or may be attached to the main body portion using any suitable means.
The neck rope embodiment has a lid with both a planar portion as well as a cylindrical portion with an axial bore. Two apertures in the sides of the main body portion align with the axial bore in the lid. The neck rope is threaded through the two apertures and the axial bore to form a xe2x80x9cpivot pinxe2x80x9d for the lid. As with the wristband, the neck rope can be made any suitable length, however 22xe2x80x3, 28xe2x80x3 and 34xe2x80x3 lengths are envisioned. The rope may be continuous (having the ends sewn or braided together after being routed through the two apertures and the axial bore), or may have its ends tied together in a simple knot.
The clip embodiment includes a spring clip attached to the bottom of the main body portion. The spring clip is adapted to attach to a belt or other piece of clothing.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a wearable case for writing materials to eliminate valuable time wasted searching for a pad and pen or pencil.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carrying case design that can be easily manufactured.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a wearable carrying case that does not scratch the wearer""s skin or snag their clothing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the smallest possible size carrying case that can still hold standard sizes of commercially available, small paper pads.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.